Colonial Medicine 1600s-1877

Colonial Medicine was scares during the 16th and 17th century. The three main professions of a doctor were a surgeon, physician, and an apothecary. Also, midwives and clergymen doubled as doctors (Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine). During these times with very little knowledge about diseases and illnesses, and more importantly cures for these diseases and illnesses were limited that many people did not survive. Medicine now in our time has journeyed a long way with new medical technology and advances. It is the art and science of healing people. In the 17th century the remedies to cure patients were from herbal and bloodletting (Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine). Bloodletting is now known as giving blood. Since treatment was very expensive during these times that the cures were much worse than the illness and disease itself.

Martha Moore Ballard was a midwife during the 1700s. A midwife is one who assists in giving birth of a child. They are usually self-trained women who help family and friends in their homes to deliver a child. It is said that no more than a dozen babies were delivered in a year by a midwife. Martha Ballard practice midwifery in her time and delivered over nine hundred babies in her 35 years of practice (Boyer). Ballard started a diary when she was at the age of fifty years old and wrote down her day-to-day activities. This diary was produced on January 1, 1785(Martha Ballard's Diary). Ballard’s diary was based on her daily routines that first started with the weather and her writing style was not in the best English grammar, with choppy sentences, but it gradually grew day after day into long and detailed entries of her works of healing and midwifery. She would write everyday and night of her experiences throughout the day. "It is now 11h Evn, my famely have been in bed 2 hours". This entry was written on May 11, 1979. Here is an entry from her diary about birth, “At 4 & 20 in morn, mrs Edson was Deliverd of a Son which waid 7 1/2 lb and at 6 & 5 minnits of another Son which wd 8 3/4 lb. Left her at about 10, mr Ballard Coming there at that time. Enformd of ye Death of our Grand Son John Town, who Last thursday morn Drank So much spirit that Causd his Death which hapend yester Day at 8 in the morn. On my return from mr Edsons, mrs Weston Cald me in, Nathan Being Sick. I tarried with her this night. Left ye Child much Better” (Martha Ballard's Diary). From this entry, although Martha Ballard was always at home, she was always “on call” for deliveries.

As years past, the diary was handed down to Martha Ballard’s daughter and remained with her for years, until a great great-granddaughter of Martha, graduated from medical school in New York City 1884. This diary can be found the Maine State Library. The document that was written by Martha Ballard shows that even education was scares for women during those times; Martha Ballard was interested in educating young women through her diary.

Another colonial medical discovery was the first autopsy performed in the year 1604 in North America by French settlers on St. Croix Island (Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine). During those times settlers were faced with diseases, casualties, and were malnourish, that many had died from them. The expedition led by the fur trader Pierre Du Gua de Monts to Acadia. Samuel de Champlain also joined and acted as historian and cartographer for de Monts (Pierre du Gua, sieur de Monts). The skull in question was discovered during excavations by the National Park Service in June 2003. The top of the skull had been removed to expose the brain; the skull cap was replaced before the body was buried (Sharp). The cuts were examined and they were just like how physicians would perform autopsies today.

Even though they are not many documented discoveries during the 1600s through the 1800s on medicine, it shows that through the years it has developed and expanded since those times. As a future physician, history sure does tell us a lot about the future.



Works Cited

Boyer, Paul. "Midwifery" 13 Feb. 2009 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-Midwifery.html.

"Martha Ballard's Diary, Apr. 9-16, 1785 (T)." DoHistory Home. 13 Feb. 2009
http://dohistory.org/diary/1785/04/17850409_txt.html?d=17850411.

"Pierre du Gua, sieur de Monts." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 13 Feb. 2009 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/391122/Pierre-du- Gua-sieur-de-Monts.

Sharp, David. "Skull Reveals North America's Earliest Autopsy, LiveScience." LiveScience, Science, Technology, Health & Environmental News. 13 Feb. 2009 http://www.livescience.com/history/061101_ap_earliest_autopsy.html.

"Written in Bone - Colonial Medicine." SI NMNH Department of Anthropology Home Page. 13 Feb. 2009 http://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/chesapeake_medicine.html.